Livre d'Or

I think if I say "I don't read much X but I like Y-which-is-X" is mostly in a "I don't read much X so I can't comment on how good at X this Y is, compared to other X, but I know I like it" sort of a way.

I mean if I said "I don't usually read X Files fic but I was rec'd this because of the awesome sexy scat play and I really liked it" then I guess that would be taken very differently to "I don't usually read scat but I was rec'd this because of the awesome characterisation of Scully and I really liked it" but I think I'd mean essentially the same thing (but, with the things I knew about reversed). I guess that when actually communicating directly with the author it's important to remember about the cultural context of the work as well as your specific reaction to it; I think when seeking recs *for you to read* then it's important to specify what you liked about something, especially if it wasn't the first thing people think of when they think of the work, to increase the chance of getting recs that work for you. Also if you say "I haven't read much X" then people can say "Oh, Z is the BEST of all the Xs, you should certainly read Z" when otherwise they might not, thinking you must have read Z already (it's a classic of the genre!)

I don't think it's the same thing if you put content notes by things. Like if I say "I read this awesome X-Files scat fic" then I've clearly said what it is, I don't think it needs more notes; but if I say "I really like the fic Title I Made Up" I might add "(XFiles, scat, established relationship)" or something, so people have *some context* for what they're getting. You don't have to be triggered by something to not want to read it - it is true that I don't read X Files fic in general (because I didn't watch the show much, and don't have the canon background to make sense of it), or you might just be on a quest to read only a certain type of thing this month. And even if your reason for Not Reading it is "I find scat gross" well, that's a fine reason for *not reading about it*... it's not a fine reason to say "It should be BANNED" or "No one should write fic like that".

I think Content Notes get problematic if you only ever use them for things *you* find squicky or triggery. They should be included for a much wider set of things.